Detergents and cleaning agents, such as dishwashing detergents, are available to the consumer in a large number of forms. Besides the traditional solid agents, flowable and in particular liquid to gel-like agents have gained increasingly in significance in recent years. The consumer appreciates in particular the rapid solubility and the associated rapid availability of the constituents in the washing and cleaning liquor, in particular also in short washing and dishwashing programs and at low temperatures.
Furthermore, consumers have become used to a comfortable dosing of pre-portioned detergents and dishwasher detergents. In order to bring a liquid detergent or dishwashing detergent that offers the above-mentioned advantages compared with solid compositions into a pre-portioned form, the use of cold-water-soluble films in the form of bags is conventional. The detergent or cleaning agent in this case may be produced in such a way that individual portions are each packaged separately.
The water-soluble wrapping is normally formed from a water-soluble or water-dispersible film material, in particular consisting of polymers or polymer mixtures. The wrapping can consist of one or of two or more layers of water-soluble or water-dispersible film material. By way of example, films are often used that can be glued and/or sealed to form packagings such as tubes or pillows, once they have been filled with an agent.
In many products the water-soluble or water-dispersible wrapping contains polyvinyl alcohol or a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer, since wrappings of this type have good stability with sufficiently high water solubility, in particular cold water solubility.
Liquid detergents and cleaning agents are currently offered in water-soluble film bags, the individual film bags, which contain individual portions, being offered in an outer packaging that contains a plurality of film bags. Whereas the outer packaging discloses instructions with regard to use and hazardous substances, as well as product name, manufacturer, etc., an individual film bag does not provide the user with this information. It is known to print the water-soluble film of such a film bag prior to forming (thermoforming; deep-drawing), as described for example in international patent publications WO 2010/135238 A1 and WO 2009/063355 A1 and also U.S. patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,785 A1. The final print image, however, can only be influenced with difficulty due to the subsequent deep-drawing and is often distorted or spoilt. A further possibility is the use of labels, which can be adhered to the film bag, however this is associated with additional costs and complex production techniques.
The object of the present invention was therefore to provide an improved possibility for presenting information on water-soluble or water-dispersible film bags containing detergents or cleaning agents.
This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention in that the filled, finished film bags are printed in an inking-pad printing process. In a first aspect the invention therefore relates to a method for printing a bag with a print, which bag is filled with a detergent or cleaning agent and is made from a water-soluble or water-dispersible film, characterized in that the printing of the bag is carried out by means of an inking-pad printing process.
In a further aspect the invention is directed to the printed bags produced by means of the method according to the invention, which bags are filled with a detergent or cleaning agent and made from a water-soluble or water-dispersible film.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.